


The Time After

by dinui_parjai



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Battlefront (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:47:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22675075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dinui_parjai/pseuds/dinui_parjai
Summary: Iden and Del don’t sleep after they defect from the Empire.Pure fluff. So much fluff.
Relationships: Del Meeko/Iden Versio, Iden Versio/Del Meeko
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	The Time After

It had been lonely and empty aboard the Corvus after Seyn died. Now, with Hask gone, it became even worse.

In the split quarters, Iden and Del were catty-corner to one another, the former attached to the now empty suite once belonging to Seyn while Del’s connected to Hask’s via a shared ‘fresher.

Their commander hadn’t known this, but the two men of Inferno Squad would often spend time talking long into their sleep rotations, one of them stumbling back to their room eventually. Now, for what served as night, Del stared up at the ceiling, unable to sleep, and often ended up relying on caf to rejuvenate him.

Unbeknownst to the others, Iden had nightmares. Or at least, if they noticed, they never said anything.

They were the kind that woke her sweating and dreaming that she had killed Seyn again. Only this time, she was plunging the vibroblade into Hask or Del. After Hask betrayed them, it was Del who she killed. Him and Seyn. Over and over and over. Sometimes a few others made it into the mix as well, but that was rare.

Sometimes the nightmares were so bad that she would sleep an hour later than what her body was used to in order to recover. Del never commented, until one day he happened to give up sleeping a few hours earlier and heard her screaming as he walked down the hall.

“Iden?” He asked, knocking on her door. He waited a few moments until he heard thrashing. “Droid! Open the door!” He ordered.

The seeker droid had been his creation, and while it was Iden’s helper, it was still loyal to Del.

A few seconds later the door to Iden’s room slid open, revealing her to be twisted into her sheets and still thrashing.

There was a certain violence to her nightmare that Del had never seen before in anyone. The way she was tied up in the sheets was likely to cause injury. Her face was wet and red from crying and her voice was hoarse from screaming, and her palms bled from where her nails cut into them.

Del’s heart sank as he beheld the sight. Somehow, Iden dealt with this for... more than a few nights every week. No wonder she seemed so reluctant to sleep.

“Iden?” He asked, warily stepping towards her.

“Del?” She asked, but her eyes were still closed in sleep. “Del? No! NO!”

She thrashed again and Del hardly caught her before she fell out of bed. One of her hands shot out and swiped his face in alarm as she woke up, covered in sweat and tears and blood, but being held by him.

“Del?” She whispered, wincing when she realized she had cut his face. Then she realized that he was here, in her room, holding her, and her face contorted into a kind of anger.

“What are you doing in here?” She demanded.

“Dio let me in.” He said, quickly letting her up and looking down with a blush on his face when he realized her damp clothes clung to her body. “We were worried about you.”

Iden made a noise like a grumble and combed through her hair with her fingers. Del had never seen her with her hair down before, and noted how it fell long down her back in waves.

“Well I’m up now.” She said. “You can wait for me in the mess.”

In other words, he was in trouble. What he had done had overstepped protocol and boundaries, apparently, even if she was screaming bloody murder and about to hurt herself.

Noted. Del thought, biting his lip and nodding. “I’ll... ah... I’ll make you a cup.”

“Goodbye, Del.” Iden shut the door behind him and slid down it, pressing her face into her hands.

_What was that?_

Her dreams, those stupid nightmares, had turned her into a damsel in distress.

Or had they?

Del rushed in like that because he was _worried_. Because he was her friend, and cared about her well being. He heard her nightmare and thought she needed help.

And a small part of her didn’t mind that.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“We need to talk.” Iden announced to Del, who lifted an eyebrow as he looked at her. “What you did back there was inappropriate and highly unprofessional, but...”

“You don’t have to say anything. I overstepped. It won’t happen again.” Del said quickly, his knuckles turning white around the mug in his hands.

“...but I don’t give a damn. Thank you, Del.”

He looked up in surprise. “Erm... you’re welcome?”

She took the seat across from him and sipped from her own mug of caf. “I’ve dreamed like that every night since Seyn died.” She said, quietly. “Did you ever notice before?”

“No.” Del shook his head. “Gid-Hask may have said something, but you know how he thought. I’ve never slept since he left.”

“Yes you have.” Iden protested. “I find you asleep at the helm or at your workbench all the time.”

“Well, that’s not proper sleep. That’s just-“ Del trailed off when he didn’t have an answer.

“You need to sleep, Del.” Iden said.

“So do you!” He put in. When he realized he’d raised his voice at her, he quickly added, “Commander.”

“Del. Stop with that. Please.” Iden begged. “We’re with the Rebellion now. Have been for months. We can do away with that.”

“Alright.” He agreed, but then his soft eyes looked into hers. “I mean it, Iden. You need sleep. Healthy sleep. Nightmares are not that.”

“I don’t know what to do!” She admitted. “I’ve tried so many things. I’ve tried having Dio watch for signs of a nightmare and wake me before it happens. Obviously he’s not very good at that.”

“Let me help.” Del put in.

“What? Are you asking to sleep with me, Meeko?”

“Well, yes.” He said. Then at her raised eyebrow. “I mean- no. Not- not like that.” He rubbed a hand down his face. And began again.

“I used to read books to get me tired before bed. Maybe you could try that.”

“Already done.” Iden shook her head. “Maybe _you_ should do that again.”

He shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. What if, when it was time to go to bed, I could come and read to you.”

“Read to me? Del, I’m twenty-four years old. I’m not a child.”

He raised his arms in surrender. “And I’m thirty-four, and I swear, it’ll work.”

She stared at him for a few moments longer. Then, finally....

“Okay.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

 _We’re friends_. Iden repeated to herself as she climbed into bed that night. _We’re friends, we’re friends, we’re friends._

But her mind betrayed her as Del finished up in his ‘fresher and came inside, a datapad under his arm.

“We’ll start with one of my favorites.” He said.

“What, a reg manual?” Iden quipped, and Del pouted rather handsomely.

“Ha, ha.” He said. “No. This is called Watership Down. It’s a story of adventure, and friendship, and rebellion.”

She smirked, settling her head down on her pillow. “Rebellion, huh?”

He sat crossed-legged at the far corner of the bed she didn’t occupy and, once he assumed she was comfortable, opened his mouth and began.

He read until Iden began to snicker. “Rabbits, Del? You chose me a story about rabbits?”

“Hush, Iden.” He protested. “It’ll get good. I promise. Just close your eyes and focus on what I’m saying and you’ll be asleep in no time.”

She did, just to humor him.

And next thing she knew, she was opening her eyes and wondering what happened to those stupid rabbits.

The stupid rabbits that Del read about in his basso voice and did stupid voices for each of them and-

_Oh, wait._

She glanced at her holoclock. 0745. It was morning.

She had slept. Without nightmares. Holy force, Del had been right. It worked.

Just to be sure, she glanced at her hands and saw no bloody palms. Her sleep clothes were still dry, and she was in the same place she’d slept in so the blankets were still relatively flat.

Smiling to herself, she slid on her normal jumpsuit and her boots and walked over to Del’s room. The door slid open to reveal-

Iden had to hold back her laughter. Del was- asleep, it seemed, thought it was quite an accomplishment. He was diagonal on the bed, covers kicked away, with one foot halfway off, and there was a small puddle of drool underneath his face. And- she realized this last and quickly jumped back outside, pressing her back to the wall and laughing behind her hand-

He was wearing only boxers. Pink boxers, to be exact. They certainly weren’t up to Imperial code. Or any kind of code, if she thought about it.

Still laughing, then getting mad at herself for laughing, and then blushing because she had just seen Del in his boxers and he was a lot more muscular than she could have expected, she waited for the door to slide back closed before calling his name. “Del?”

He startled awake, then jumped out of bed and began frantically pulling clothes on. “Yes?” He responded in a hoarse voice.

“Oh.” Iden said when the door slid open before he’d completely gotten his shirt back on. Yes. Definitely more muscular than she could have expected. “Um... how’d you sleep?” She asked, stupidly.

“Sleep?” He asked, “Iden, I told you. I don’t- sleep?” He said it like a question and soon, a confused look came across his face even as she grinned.

“I slept the night.” He realized.

“We slept the night!” Iden reiterated, giggling like a schoolgirl as she danced over to him and grabbed his arms. “It was so nice. I’m so happy.” She looked into his hazel green eyes. “Honestly? I could kiss you right now.”

Del opened his mouth to say something, like “do it,” but Caton’s voice came over the intercom.

“Commander, you’re needed on the bridge.”

Iden groaned and shut her eyes tightly, and a slight growl escaped her mouth. Reluctantly, she let go of Del’s hands. “We’d better go.”

“Right.” He said, trying not to sound disappointed as he grabbed his jacket from the desk. Inwardly, he was ecstatic.

Maybe even she didn’t realize it, but Iden Versio had just admitted to him that she loved him.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

It was a good thing they slept well that night, because they didn’t have the chance to do so again for a while. But now....

The Empire was gone.

They could sleep all they wanted.

Iden pratically fell into bed that night, after crying all she needed to and celebrating with Del and Shriv.

“You ready for chapter two?” Del asked, walking into her room.

“Go for it.” Iden yawned, then smiled at him. The man she had kissed, and who had kissed her back and then they’d together decided that they were a thing, now.

Del opened his mouth and continued the story. When he looked up after finishing the next chapter, he saw that her eyes were closed and assumed that she was asleep. Yawning himself, he began the walk back to his room.

“Del?” She called.

He turned. So she hadn’t been asleep yet. “Okay. I’ll read some more.”

“No, Del. I want you to stay.” Iden patted the bed next to her.

“Stay?” He echoed.

“Stay.”

It was as if he’d forgotten about all the kissing they’d done earlier. Sharing a bed wasn’t an awkward next step at all.

He set the datapad that contained the book onto her dresser and slid his jacket off his shoulders. When he caught Iden’s eyes on him, he stopped there and took off his boots next.

“No pink boxers?” She teased when he laid down beside her.

“Pink boxers?” He asked, oblivious. “Whatever do you mean?”

“I saw you wearing them.” She admitted, reaching out to touch his chin and run her hand down his chest. “Quite fashionable.”

“Oh, those?” Del said. “Shriv thought it would be funny to wash my jacket in the same load as my underclothes. Now I had a surplus of pink boxers and socks.”

“Sure you didn’t just do that yourself?” She asked, scooting closer to him until she could place her head on his chest.

“Maybe.” He shrugged, kissing her hair and sliding his arms around her, pulling her close. “Maybe not.”

Unsatisfied with his teasing, Iden tilted her head up and captured his lips with hers. “Goodnight, Del.”

His eyes twinkled even in the dark. “Goodnight, Iden.”

It was the best sleep they’d had in years.

**Author's Note:**

> You should all read Watership Down. It’s a great book. Also if someone knows the Star Wars equivalent to rabbits please let me know.
> 
> The reason she’s needed on the bridge is just to receive the call from Leia to go find Han FYI.


End file.
